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Londolozi Live

Membership overview

We invite you to sign up for a Londolozi Live account and join our growing digital family united by our respect for nature and love of the wild. Membership is free and grants access to the Londolozi community, numerous innovative services and benefits across our digital ecosystem:

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Who are you?

Tell the community something about yourself and tweak your Londolozi profile. More of a secretive animal? Keep your profile private.

Track your activity

Earn badges for your profile as you interact with Londolozi and the community as you comment, share and explore our online ecosystem. All your activity with Londolozi is now connected.

Increase your ranking

Earn prowess and rank up as you interact with Londolozi Live and earn a spot on the monthly points leaderboard.

Discuss stories

Chat with other Londolozi Live Explorers and with your favourite Contributors from the Londolozi team about their photos and stories from the wild.

Curate your own galleryNEW

Add your favorite photographs from around Londolozi Live to your very own Favorites gallery, using the ♡ button, for others to enjoy.

Purchase full res photosNEW

Buy your favorite photos in full resolution, easily and securely, for download at any time from your Profile Page.

Home of leopards

Tell us which of the Leopards of Londolozi you've encountered during your visit! Their cards will move to your profile page collection.

Rent gear

Need a camera for your stay? Book it online and hassle free. Travel to Londolozi light and easy.

What Happens When 3 Leopards, 3 Hyenas and a Pack of Wild Dogs Converge: Part 2

Yesterday you may have read Guy Brunskill’s account of our crazy morning game drive. Below is the remainder of that story…

One of the wild dogs hurriedly feeds on the impala kill before three hyenas ran in and stole the remains. The wild dog is the rarest predator in Southern Africa and an incredibly special thing to see on safari.

In the frenzy, the wild dogs ran off and we sat and watched as two of the hyenas finished the scraps. While the female tried to find any last bit of food, the male seemed to have something else on his mind. I noticed his behaviour was slightly odd but in all the excitement of the morning, I was too distracted to ponder it further. We turned the vehicle around to get a better view of the Mashaba female leopard in the Marula tree, and just then the Flat Rock male chose to make a guest appearance. We spent some time with him as he moved back and forth in the thickets before he looped around and began approaching the Mashaba female. She had a wound on her side from an altercation – probably with another leopard and possibly even with the Flat Rock male – and so she was on edge. As she saw him approaching she shot down the tree and ran off.

Flat Rock 3:2 Male

We stayed with the Flat Rock male, who was trailing behind the three hyenas. In the process he was so fixated on the hyenas that he walked within two meters of an impala lamb, frozen in panic, without spotting it. The hyenas had now moved out into an open clearing and the reasons for their seemingly strange behaviour became apparent. The male was displaying courtship behaviour. From going years without anyone seeing this behaviour here to it now being witnessed twice in quick succession is rather strange. Watch James Tyrrell’s amazing footage of this from a few days ago. As they say, when it rains it pours.

The pair of hyenas during their first attempt at copulation. Eventually the male mounted the female, explaining the strange behaviour we had witnessed earlier in the sighting.

Spotted hyena males are significantly smaller than the females, which is one of the reasons they are wary to mate. When one considers how long the courtship process is, you realise how incredibly lucky we were to witness this moment.

With female hyenas being larger and more dominant than males, the courting males are unusually timid. Following the females and constantly smelling her urine allows the male to ascertain when she is approaching oestrus. Depending on her receptivity to him, it can take anything from a week up to over a month before he even attempts to mount. We were lucky enough to witness the final stage of the courtship. The male is hesitant to mount as often the female responds aggressively. He approached the female quickly and pawed the ground behind her. This time the female was receptive and so the male rushed in and mounted her.

Mating in spotted hyenas is extremely unique due to many bizarre adaptations to the female’s genitalia. As a result of such high competition within the species, females have evolved to have much higher testosterone levels. These high levels lead to them not only being larger than males but has also brought about the obscurities in their genitalia too. For many years humans believed that hyenas were hermaphrodites. This is not the case, however females do have an appendage that resembles a male’s penis, and to the untrained eye would cause anyone to believe that they are all males.

The female’s pseudo-penis is in fact an enlarged penis-like clitoris, and is formed because of exposure to high androgen levels while in the womb. Difficulty now arises as the pseudo-penis contains the vagina and urethral duct. It therefore makes copulation incredibly difficult. Only at the age of sexual maturity, roughly around three years old, does the opening split from the original 2-3mm to about 15mm. Secondly, the birthing canal is now a lot longer than in other species, which causes complications such as the umbilical cord getting detached before the cubs are fully passed through the canal.

With no distinct breeding season, the females only come into oestrus for very short periods every 1-1.5 years and are normally either carrying or caring for young in between.

The Flat Rock male watches the rare scene with us from the safety of a Marula tree, after being chased by the pair of hyenas. One wonders if this was also his first time watching hyenas mating.

As we watched the hyenas, we would check on the Flat Rock male lying off to the side who was inquisitively watching the antics as well. After a while, he got up and began to approach the pair, who subsequently chased him up a Marula tree. We couldn’t quite believe that our sighting had now materialised into us watching a leopard in a tree twice, as well as watching a pair of hyenas mating in a clearing.

Eventually the pair moved off and the Flat Rock male descended the tree, leaving us to enjoy a cup of coffee and debrief the morning we had just had.

It had been the most incredible morning, with animals seemingly pouring in from every direction, only to be topped off with the most unique and quite frankly bizarre sighting of the lot. It serves as a reminder of how you just never know what a Londolozi safari has in store for you.

Involved Leopards

About the Author

Sean Zeederberg

Field Guide

As a young boy growing up on an agricultural farm in Zimbabwe, Sean spent every opportunity entertaining himself outdoors, camping in the local nature reserve and learning about all facets of the natural world. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental ...

And just when I thought that sighting couldn’t get any better!! That has got to be one for the record books!!! How is it possible to see a leopard, then a wild dog kill, then another leopard and then watch two hyenas mating while watching the second leopard??!!! I’m not sure how you can top that sighting (unless you added a pangolin into the mix)!

That was a brilliant report Sean. I learned so much more about hyena behavior, having always wondered about the hermaphroditism theory. You managed to capture some wonderful images of the mating pair as well as the expression on the Flat Rock male’s face.

Sean, What an amazing morning! Between James and you, we are getting everything we would ever need to know about the Hyenas and their mating! Guessing the Flat Rock and Mashaba are connecting too. Can’t wait to get back to Londolozi! Merry Christmas to all!

Wow there are few words to describe these two sightings, one would be out of this world & the other, amazing! The bush is a never ending bunch of surprises! Thank you guys for these two blogs 🙂 Have a great weekend & a Blessed Happy Christmas to you all in your perfect paradise 🙂

Associates & Awards

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Purchase a photograph

Our best photographs are available for purchase in digital format from the Londolozi Live Fine Art Store, via credit card. Purchasable photos are tagged with the Fine Art Store icon:

Once purchased, you will be able to download the full resolution, unwatermarked image (around 10Mb) from your profile page at any time. There are also different license options which you can choose from when adding the image to your cart.

To add any purchasable image to your cart, press the Purchase/Add to cart buttons next to an image, from anywhere across Londolozi Live:

Badges

Badges are awarded for achieving various things and come with a bunch of points in tow. Here's an example badge:

We've had the pleasure of hosting you here at Londolozi and together we've experienced the magic of the wild and now you're part of the family. You've let us know about your past visits while editing your Profile.

Londolozi Guest

Awarded for visiting Londolozi.

1000

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for earning the Londolozi Guest badge

Each badge has a basic version, such as the Londolozi Guest badge above, and then a specialist version:

Londolozi Lifer

Awarded for visiting Londolozi three times.

2000

prowess earned

for earning the Londolozi Lifer badge

To see all the badges on offer and find out how to grab them, visit the Badge Showcase or click on any badge you happen to find out there in the wild.

Senior Digital Ranger

Digital Tracker

Master Tracker

Guest

We've had the pleasure of hosting you here at Londolozi and together we've experienced the magic of the wild and now you're part of the family. You've let us know about your past visits while editing your Profile.

You've earned the badge:

Londolozi Guest

Awarded for visiting Londolozi.

1000

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You're a specialist in this field and have earned the badge:

Londolozi Lifer

Leopard

On a trip to Londolozi you've been lucky enough to spot a leopard of Londolozi. You've encountered the leopard's profile card on the Blog and pressed the 'Spotted this Leopard?' button to record your sighting.

Lion Fanatic

Photographer

You've got an eye for the wilderness and have had your photographic journal from your time at Londolozi published on the Blog for others to enjoy. You found out how to submit your story by emailing us.

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700

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Master Photographer

Storyteller

You've got the gift of the storyteller and have had a tale of your time at Londolozi published on the Blog for others to marvel at around the camp fire. You found out how to submit your story by emailing us.

Art Specialist

Good Work Foundation

You recongise the rare privilege it is to be able to experience the untamed beauty of the natural world, and have found an opportunity to give back through The Good Work Foundation, for the sake of others, your children and the wild. You've let us know about your donations while editing your Profile.

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500

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GWF Protector

Curator

You've curated your own Favorites gallery by ♡ing at least 15 photographs which you absolutely love from around Londolozi Live. If your Favorites gallery has caught the eye of the Fine Art site Editor and is featured, you've also earned the esteemed Featured Curator badge.

Londolozi Live

Membership Overview

Londolozi Live

Membership overview

We invite you to sign up for a Londolozi Live account and join our growing digital family united by our respect for nature and love of the wild. Membership is free and grants access to the Londolozi community, numerous innovative services and benefits across our digital ecosystem:

Quick sign in/sign up

Tired of new passwords? Link your social media account of choice for instant, secure access to Londolozi Live.

Who are you?

Tell the community something about yourself and tweak your Londolozi profile. More of a secretive animal? Keep your profile private.

Track your activity

Earn badges for your profile as you interact with Londolozi and the community as you comment, share and explore our online ecosystem. All your activity with Londolozi is now connected.

Increase your ranking

Earn prowess and rank up as you interact with Londolozi Live and earn a spot on the monthly points leaderboard.

Discuss stories

Chat with other Londolozi Live Explorers and with your favourite Contributors from the Londolozi team about their photos and stories from the wild.

Curate your own galleryNEW

Add your favorite photographs from around Londolozi Live to your very own Favorites gallery, using the ♡ button, for others to enjoy.

Purchase full res photosNEW

Buy your favorite photos in full resolution, easily and securely, for download at any time from your Profile Page.

Home of leopards

Tell us which of the Leopards of Londolozi you've encountered during your visit! Their cards will move to your profile page collection.

Rent gear

Need a camera for your stay? Book it online and hassle free. Travel to Londolozi light and easy.

sightings by Members

The Leopards of Londolozi

Since 1979 Londolozi has had a love affair with leopards. Over the last four decades, this dynasty has been chronicled by the many guides and trackers, past and present, who have worked at Londolozi.

You can visit the Mashaba 4:3 Female's dedicated profile page to access a rich trove of information about this leopard, including family tree, unique markings, territory maps, timelines and a host of stunning images and videos.